Harry
>Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 13:23:56 -0700
>To: Bonnie & Frank <bonfire@humboldt1.com>
>From: hlg@pacbell.net
>Subject: Re: keel trouble
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>
Bonnie and Frank:
I'm at a loss to explain your centerboard problem. They normally fit
loosely in the trunk, to the extent that they tend to bang from side to
side under some conditions. I have never heard of one jamming except when
rocks or sand worked in when the boat was beached.
For what it is worth, I am attaching a drawing someone made of their CB on
P15 #1111. Note that there is an L-shaped notch that engages the
centerboard pivot bolt. The angles varied somewhat from year to year, but
they all have something similar. There are photographs of the centerboard
on my very early P14 (#234) at http://songbird.com/py/new/CBtext.html.
The hammering should not be necessary and may damage something. I would try
to find a way to look down alongside the board, using a light, to see what
is jamming it. I'm not sure how the top of your centerboard trunk is
attached. On my first-generation P14, I can just remove the wooden cap by
taking out the attaching screws. You may be able to see something by
looking up through the bottom, but you've probably already exhausted all
those possibilities.
If the centerboard has been dislodged from the pivot pin (which could be a
5/16, 3/8, or 1/2 inch bolt) and has fallen below its usual upright
position, could one of the blocks of the lifting tackle be jammed inside
the trunk? That happened to me when I tried to put the boat on the trailer
with the board down, which knocked it off the pin. When I relaunched, the
board tried to fall out through the bottom but was stopped by the tackle
hardware. I was able to pull the board back up and get it back on the pin.
Another possibility, since you said the board is now off the pin, is that
your board is now jammed between the pin and the back of the CB trunk. If
so, you should be trying to raise the board to get it back on the pin, not
drive it down . . . perhaps. I don't know how much clearance there is in
your trunk between the bolt and the aft end of the slot.
Another remote possibility is that the previous owner wanted a heavier
centerboard and had one made out of thicker material than the trunk can
accommodate. The thickness of #1111's board is 3/8 inch as is mine.
Recovery may require major surgery, but I would think about it for a while
before doing any more. IMHO the most likely problem is something jammed
between the board and the side of the trunk.
I just reread your message below, and I'm not sure what you meant by "he
has been able to move it about 4" from the pivot pin..." The board should
remain on the pin.
Where are you located? Your e-mail address suggests you are in the
Eureka/Aracata area.
Good luck,
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA
>
>> Greetings,
>>
>>My husband and myself recently bought a 15' potter, we believe it is a
>>1972, with the sail number 598. It is a beautiful little sail boat and we
>>were happy to have found it since my husband had been sailing when he was
>>a kid (he is now 48, still just a kid) with his father in the Newport
>>Harbour in Southern California for many summers.
>>
>>We took it out to a small lake a short ride from where we live and Frank
>>could not get the keel down. He tried everything he could think
>>of and could only manage to get it down about 10", from there it would
>>not budge. We brought it home and he has it hanging from the
>>rafters of our garage, pounding on the keel with a 6lb. sledge hammer.
>>He spent 3 hours last Sunday pounding, and pouring oil to lubricate it
>>to move, he has been able to move it about 4'' from the pivot pin, but
>>now cannot move it in either direction.
>>
>>If anyone has had any ideas on how to move that keel we would
>>appreciate it, or if anyone has had similar problems and has suggestions,
>>please let us know. We can be reached at the above
>>email address.
>>
>>Thank you, Frank & Bonnie Mathes